Nick Clement joins us with his 2019 Luce movie review.
A liberal-minded couple, Amy and Peter Edgar, are forced to reconsider their image of their adopted son after they discover he has written an extremely disturbing essay for his class at school.
Luce is a movie directed with confidence by Julius Onah.
Julius also co-wrote the screenplay with JC Lee, whose original play forms the basis of the film.
Released last year to excellent reviews by Neon. The film barely made a dent on the theatrical box-office radar. Hopefully, it will find discovery now that it’s hit Blu Ray/DVD and various streaming providers.
The plot centers on a married couple whose otherwise overachieving adopted teenage son runs afoul of a concerned teacher at his high school when one of his essays contains content that some might find unsettling, with his upbringing as a child-soldier in a war-torn African country causing more concern when folded into the mix.
The leading performance by talented up-and-comer Kelvin Harrison Jr. is striking and commanding. The trio of Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, and Tim Roth all deliver rock-solid supporting work.
There’s one sequence that ranks as one of the more disturbing things I’ve seen in a long time.
In general, the ambiguity that the filmmakers’ present results in a film that avoids any sort of overt hand-holding all throughout.
This is a work that revolves around character and social class and perception, and the capacity for side-by-side mental thought processes.
Larkin Seiple’s unfussy yet sharp cinematography highlights long takes.
The slow-burn pacing creates a picture filled with unease and subtle tension. It’s a hard film to fully describe, but a rich experience nonetheless.
Luce movie review by Nick Clement
Our Rating
Summary
A movie directed with confidence that deserved to make more of a dent at the box-office.
Hopefully it’s life on various streaming providers proves to be more fruitful.
